Cup and Sorceress
by Thisisfunwhattooksolong
Summary: Clare's excited that her sorceress inauguration ceremony is coming up. Unfortunately she has to organise it and aquire all the food for the accompanying feast first.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:\**I don't claim to own any of Power Ranger, nor am I affiliated with it in any way.

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It was a beautiful day in the woods. There was just enough cloud that no one would get sunburnt, a gentle breeze swaying the branches and birds shone like stars high in the sky. This struck Clare as odd because it was the wrong time of year for phoenixes but she did not dwell upon it, pleased as she was to be living in such a wonderful world. It was as though the pocket dimensions she used to play in had become real and the once dreary mystic wood had become vibrant and full of life. Chip had described the change by comparing two places named 'Lórien' and 'Mirkwood' but she had no idea where or what they were and nobody considered it worth telling her.

But Clare had another reason for being so cheerful, for her inauguration was coming up, where she would finally receive her wand and staff. She was really looking forward to it. Technically she was already a sorceress but she longed for her own wand greatly. Plus, her ascension had been under extreme duress and she secretly feared she would not have gained it had the world not been about to end. So she was looking forward to her birthday in a way that she had not done for many years.

She came to the edge of the wood and looked to the city down below. Ideally, she thought to herself, she should have walked directly to the city but the woods had been so cheerful she had gotten distracted. Still, it never did anyone any harm to walk downhill so she set out down the road, earning some unusual looks from passing motorists.

While strolling her mind turned to the long list of things she still needed to acquire. Some were certain to be easy while some were going to be harder than breaking into the pit. Where, since the great evil uprising, would anyone produce (and export) magically enhanced party poppers.

About ten minutes later she reached the outskirts of Briarwood and started looking for what she needed. The city did not seem to have a market of the sort she was accustomed to and asking locals where the bazaar was only caused them to laugh. Well, laugh or try to sell her something she was quite sure was not legal.

During one such encounter she met Chip, when he jumped of the roof of a nearby building landing in front of her. With his crossbow in hand he stood ready to fight the dodgy dealers but instead of fighting they sprinted away, leaving all the goods they were peddling behind. He quickly searched through them and shook his head.

"Not the one."

Clare tapped him on the shoulder and smiled sweetly.

"Were you looking for something Chip?"

He looked at her for a moment before answering.

"Someone is smuggling explosive potions out of the Elf Village. These crooks however were just your everyday back alley scoundrels."

Chip then proceeded to call Briarwood police and asked them to remove the contraband from the street. He then turned back to Clare.

"So what were you doing here anyway? This is not a part of the city most people visit."

"I was trying to find someone to tell me where I could find the bazaar, but nobody will tell me."

Chip tried really hard not to laugh and for a while succeeded but then realised he would have to say something back.

"The shopping district, as it's known, is a mile further into town. You don't get actual bazaars here. What are you looking for anyway?"

Clare, who had been distracted by trying to find the way, had almost forgotten her shopping list but she quickly remembered.

"Four bakers' dozen inflatable balls, a hundredweight of pork, five bushels of what was supposed to be ale but Daggeron recommends something which happens to look like it because he doesn't want to leave that much alcohol around Xander..."

"And how were you planning on carrying this?"

Clare thought for a second. She really hadn't planned that far forwards. Her face fell and Chip seemed to her to be trying say something.

"You know Clare, you could always um, er, um..." He stammered. Then his eyes focused on something behind her and his voice turned commanding. "You, stop right there."

Clare turned around just in time to see another shady character throw his bag away. This time however, there was a terrific explosion, of a magnitude only normally reached when zords and giant monsters fought one another. Out of the smoke a monster emerged, covered in a thick leathery substance and with knives for fingers.

"I'll get back to you Clare, for now the shops are in a straight line down there." Chip told her and started walking toward the monster.

Clare went in the direction he suggested and just about heard his legendary morphing call as she walked off. About five minutes later she met the other rangers running the other way.

"Clare." Snarled Vida as she ran past.

"Don't mind her." Came Xander as he followed seconds later. "She can't take a joke."

"It really wasn't that funny Xander." Called Maddie as she brought up the rear. She then looked at Clare and added "Even Phineas and Toby weren't laughing.", before racing on by. Clare barely knew Toby, but he seemed the sort that could laugh at anything.

Finally after much walking which Clare felt certain was nearer to a league than a mile, she beheld for the first time the main entrance to Briarwood Shopping Mall, complete with fake gilded streamers and flanked by draped flags carrying a red smiley face on a silvery background.

She started looking vainly for a chime or knocker and was quite perplexed when she couldn't find one. After observing other people for a while she realised that you were supposed to just walk right in and filled with curiosity and excitement, Clare entered a mall.

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**An:\**Now in theory I do have a draft of the next chapter written. However it requires me to write from the perspective of a girl, in an American Shopping Mall, whose never seen one before. Since I am neither a girl nor American, I am having to constantly redraft it. Even so, I apologise in advance for how that is likely to turn out.

On a related note, please tell me if I've left any British words or phrases in any sentence spoken by a surface dweller.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:\**Nothing's changed in the past three hours except seemingly my ability to use 'rangers' as a plural.

**An:\**Every named place here I either made up on the spot, or wrote for a fic series about the history of the Mystic Realm that I never posted (or finished), since one of those was the one that explained why in this fic incoming sorcerers/sorceresses are sworn in on their birthdays, this was an error on my part for which I am sorry. Feel free to judge (or condemn) me accordingly.

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Clare's eyes were filled with wonder. So grand a building had not been seen in the Mystic Realm for many an age, indeed not since The Vampire Lords had led their hordes against Steam City back when The Master was still just a glorified squid.

She quickly realised that this place was sectioned, with each part selling something completely different. There was one to her left that was adorned in beautiful blue calligraphy that read stationers and it appeared to sell the surface world's equivalent of quills and parchment. Another on her right bore a large hanging picture of a rectangle embossed with square buttons neatly arranged into rows and was dedicated to the sale of advanced pieces of surface world technology that she neither understood nor comprehended. There were many that between them held every type of garment she could think of and several she couldn't. And those were just the roofed stalls she could see from the door.

Clare thought back to her list and realised two things. One, she'd yet to sight any food shops. Two, she still had to find a way to carry anything.

She soon found a solution to her latter problem. It seemed other patrons were going down a side alley and returning with some sort of wheeled metal crate. Clare spotted someone by a collection of maps and banners who appeared to be some sort of overseer and asked him what the bartering price was on such devices.

His response was to start berating while laughing and if she wasn't so entrenched on the side of good she would probably have hexed him. Fortunately for all, she recognised a voice over all the chatter.

"Mom", whined Leelee, "you said we could buy new chairs. The ones we've got are so uncomfortable."

Nikki sighed.

"I know Leelee, but we spent too long in Chester's Dressers. I need to meet Toby. If you want new chairs so badly, you buy them."

"Fine." Leelee said angrily and she and her mother marched in opposite directions.

"Leelee." Clare called, waving her over.

"Clare?" She replied, then saw her and walked over, slightly shocked to find her forest dwelling friend in a shopping mall.

"Hello Leelee." Clare greeted her friend. "This gentleman won't tell me the price of those rolling metal things."

Leelee looked incredulous.

"You mean a shopping cart?"

"If that's what they're called."

At this Leelee also started laughing and while Clare could tolerate such a response from a surface dweller who'd likely never seen what an angry sorceress could do, she wasn't going to take it from Leelee. She waved her hand in front of Leelee's face in an attempt to prompt her to answer and when that failed she tried a more drastic measure. Her eyes glowed with the blue light of the moon and everyone backed away quickly. Leelee tried to mumble between laughs.

"Clare, I'm sor-ry, it's just, you don't, buy, shopping, carts." Then Leelee suddenly stopped laughing. "Now seriously, I thought you could only do that if you were wearing the tiara thing, which will kill you or have you forgotten."

Clare returned herself to normal.

"No I have not forgotten. And minor shape changing hardly requires a powerful source. But your right, I cannot take the powers of the Gatekeeper without the band, even if I could take the shape and it might kill me. So how does it work, do you just take the cart?" She asked, curious.

"Pretty much, yes. You take them, use them and put them back when you're done."

Clare and Leelee set off, acquiring a cart and heading deeper into the mall. When they reached a crossroads, Leelee suddenly stopped.

"Um, Clare, out of interest what were you planning on paying with?"

Clare's family had long had surface world money and she pulled out a handful of gold coins and handed them to Leelee. Leelee however did not seem impressed.

"I don't think doubloons are even legal in Spain any longer."

Clare was crestfallen. This wasn't going very well at all.

"Fortunately I think there's an antiques dealer here, so we can go and exchange them. One word of advice, don't accept their first offer."

That made Clare much happier. She felt like she might actually get somewhere. Leelee then led Clare down a hall and into a shop labelled 'Bob's Elite Goods'. This was more the sort of store Clare was used to in Mystic Village. There were solid irons, wooden desks and dozens of jars and tins made from every crafting material imaginable. Clare could understand why they had not already sold though. Compared to the crafts mastery in the Mystic Realm, the build quality of these items was not great.

Leelee then went through the process of selling the coins while Clare looked around to see if she could spot anything that looked remotely decent. There were a few knives and forks which, Clare had to admit, eclipsed the Mystic Realm's in recent years but nothing else.

Soon Leelee was done and she handed Clare a huge wad of something that wasn't quite parchment, each one carrying a '10' and a man's face clearly marked on it. Clare guessed that this was the currency in this land, though it seemed strange to her.

They went on their way past a shop that claimed to sell musical instruments that Clare was sure wouldn't make a sound, especially some that were faintly shaped like loots but that had no echo chamber. Then in turn passed a store that held rows upon rows of books. Finally they reached the first place that actually sold something Clare needed. A large shop with a number of leather and rubber balls in various shapes and sizes. There were also lots of metal clubs and some boxes claiming to hold a bizarre frame with a net. Clare didn't want to know what sort of flying fish made a net that size necessary.

"How many balls did you say you need Clare?" Leelee asked her.

"Four bakers' dozen."

Leelee looked stunned.

"Fifty-two balls!" She near shouted, attracting the attention of other shoppers.

"Yes Leelee." Then Clare noticed an interesting trait on the posters. "And they have to be spherical, not those egg-shaped ones."

Leelee then beckoned a store-hand over.

"Ah, hot girls, a rarity in Sports 4 Less. What can I get you?"

"My friend here would like to buy, I can't believe I'm saying this, fifty-two round balls."

"What? Really?" He stood silenced for a moment, then... "YES! At last!" After settling himself he questioned them on the size and make which Leelee steered Clare through and they were back on their way enjoying the sights of the mall, complete with a nearly full shopping cart. It was getting on a bit now, so they decided to find somewhere to eat, while they would consider more methods of lugging their goods around.

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**An2:\**I've decided to split this chapter up, as it was far _far _too long. I cannot proof read something of that length. The others need much more going over than this did, and this I'm sure I will spot a hundred errors as soon as I add it.  
Also, please call me out on every error you find (that is the closest to review begging I will ever do).


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